


But There’s Milk and Honey on the Other Side

by ChaoticCosmos



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Migraine, Not Max//vid, Other, dadvid, i guess??, not rly but like ??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 18:42:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15176933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticCosmos/pseuds/ChaoticCosmos
Summary: Kids are often experiencing a lot of the world for the first time, so when something goes wrong it can feel like the worst thing that’s ever happened. That’s because to them it is.So what happens when Max experiences a migraine for the first time?





	But There’s Milk and Honey on the Other Side

**Author's Note:**

> i barely drafted this and am writing it at 2am so forgive me for mistakes
> 
> and forgive me for that shit description

 

   The first thing Max noticed when he woke up was the searing pain coursing through his head. He let out a laboured breath at the feeling of something like a crushing force pressing down on his skull and trying to squeeze his brain out through his eyes and his temples. The boy shut his eyes tightly and whimpered at the unfamiliar pain, opting to turn onto the side to try and push his head further into the pillow in hopes of relieving some of the pressure. When this didn’t work Max finally sat up, barely willing himself to lift his head. Max struggled as his head felt a thousand tons heavier than before. Finally he tried to blink his eyes open.

   The next thing Max noticed was that it was still dark outside. A cool summer breeze filtered past the tent, occasionally making its way in and rustling the sheets inside the tent. The moon was barely waxing but somehow the light seemed to sting Max’s senses, forcing him to shut his eyes once again. When the boy tried to lift his hands to his head they were shaking and that was when he started to realise the nausea churning in his stomach. Max pressed his palms to the parts of his head that hurt the most — not that it was exactly easy to distinguish between agonising aches and excruciating pain — and pressed down. It worked for a few seconds but in the end it did nothing to sooth the boy’s pain and he dropped his hands back down with a loud whimper when the force of the movement jostled him and caused his head to pound.

   Tears were beginning to collect in the corners of Max’s eyes and he had no energy to blink them away. He dared not move again for fear of making his headache worse and had barely cracked his eyes open since the initial introduction to the painful moonlight. Even breathing was beginning to feel like a chore as each breath inwards was like drawing glass into his mind and each breath out was like forcing his brain to press against the corners of his mind. Max tried to steady his breathing until it was so shallow it was barely audible.

   Max could hardly think as he scrambled to asses the situation. He had experienced headaches before but nothing so intense. If Max didn’t know any better he would think his brain had exploded while he slept. His mind flickered back to a few hours previously when he snuck off to bed earlier than most. He had a headache at the time, a dull ache that felt like a heavy bandage tied around his forehead and temples. He had thought going to sleep would help ease the ache but now tears were slipping down his cheeks as the bandages had turned to lead and were pulling tighter with every breath.

   Finally Max accepted that he would need help and slowly moved the bed sheets off of himself. The small jump from bed to ground felt like a gunshot in Max’s mind and he wobbled as he rose to stand. Max couldn’t bring himself to bother with shoes or his hoodie as he quietly crept out of the tent and across the camp ground. His legs shook as much as his arms and Max stared determinedly at the ground, not wanting to make direct eye-contact with any kind of light source. Every step felt like a hammer hitting directly on his brain and Max pressed his hands to his temples in a futile effort to try and still the movements of his mind. It felt like years before the boy finally reached the councillors’ cabin and he hesitated when he raised his hand to knock.

   David and Gwen would surely be asleep, there was no chance they would hear him. Max stood at the door for a few painful minutes trying to decide if it was worth knocking or if he should just go back to bed and try and wait it out until morning. Part of him just wanted to lie down on the cool gravel right then and there. That was when a sudden thought hit him. _What if he didn’t make it until morning?_ Max had never felt a pain so intense. He’d never heard anyone talk about this kind of thing. What if there was something seriously wrong with him?  _Maybe he somehow cracked his skull in his sleep? Or what if there was some sort of internal bleeding? Could he have a brain tumor?_  Max’s breathing had become raged and uneven so he sucked it up and brought his fist down hard on the wooden door three times, wincing at both the sound and the feeling of the knocks. There were a few moments when nothing happened and Max worried that no one had heard him, but then there were noises and a light turned on inside the cabin. Next the door opened and Max’s hands instantly reached for his head to both press down on his temples and shield his eyes from the sting of the light. He grunted quietly at the sudden attack on his senses. Max hadn’t noticed the warm tears that had spilled down his cheeks until he took into account the cool, almost-relief they provided his eyes and cheeks. Max didn’t look up from the floor once but knew who had answered from the voice that spoke. Far too loud and far too sharp for Max’s liking. Or maybe it just felt amplfied due to the pain, he couldn’t tell.

   ‘Max? What are you doing up?’ David asked. Max continued to stare stubbornly at the ground. He hadn’t considered how much it might hurt to talk or move his jaw until he was struggling through a sentence fragment.

    ‘Head . . . Really . . . Hurts.’ He said through grinding teeth and a raw voice. He let out another involuntary whimper as the pounding suddenly decided to amplify. Max’s knees buckled and he was soon welcoming the cool gravel beneath him as the pain made him too weak to stand any longer. David recognised the signs almost instantly and acted in accordance, starting by turning the light off in the cabin. He could navigate using the moonlight until he found some candles.

   ‘Okay, Max,’ David started in a soft whisper, kneeling in front of the boy. ‘I’m going to take you inside and get you something to help with the headache. Is that okay?’ He asked softly. Max nodded minutely and it was enough of confirmation for David to gently pick up the camper and carry him inside. Once Max was lying down on David’s bed the councillor searched the drawers for a match box and then promptly lit a couple of candles. This provided enough light for him to better navigate the cabin without any harsh lights to further hurt Max. Max had taking to curling up into a ball on the bed. His hands were threaded messily in his hair and he shook with silent tears. The only reminder he was there being the occasional whimpers that broke past his lips from the ever-growing waves of pain. David felt a fraction of his heart break every time he heard his camper in pain. He made quick work in gathering what he needed but to hear how much pain Max was in, and to know first-hand how painful a migraine can be, it brought tears to his own eyes which David had to blink back.

   David crouched next to the bed and gently reached forward to place a hand atop of one of Max’s. The boy stilled and tried to silence his sniffling.

   ‘I’m going to need you to sit up for me, Max.’ David instructed quietly. Max hesitated for a few moments and David waited patiently as the boy worked up the energy to push himself into a sitting position. Max stared down at his hands as David took one and directed it to a small medicine cup. ‘This pain relief will help to sooth your head and if you want there’s some milk and honey to help the medicine go down.’ Max nodded and drank the thick, almost orange flavoured, liquid. He recoiled at the taste and David took the medicine cup from Max’s hand. He then offered him a small spoon with honey on it and a glass of milk. The sweetness of the honey and smoothness of the milk helped with the taste of the medicine but the pain was still pressing insistently on Max’s head. Max hadn’t spoken a word since David first opened the door but his crying had finally ceased and his sniffling has calmed.

   ‘The pain relief will take a few minutes to work.’ David informed. ‘Why don’t you lie down and I’ll put an ice pack on your head. It should help to relieve some of the pain but just let me know if it’s too cold.’ Max nodded and lay down on the bed. His breathing was still harsh but it was starting to calm and for the first time Max looked up as he opened his eyes to stare tiredly at the shadows from the candles dancing on the dark ceiling. David moved to sit on the edge of the bed and Max was grateful for how gently David placed the ice pack on his head. As he stared at the ceiling, Max found himself feeling glad that he was at camp. He wasn’t sure what he would do had this happened when he was at home and he shuddered at the thought. 'Too cold?’ David asked, mistaking Max’s shiver for that of physical discomfort. Max shook his head no and the two sat in silence for a few moments.

   ‘David?’ Max’s voice was hoarse when he addressed the man still sitting on the edge of the bed. David was lost in thought but perked up at the sound. Max sat up weakly and slumped to rest against David’s side, lifting one arm to hold the ice pack in place, and closing his eyes. ‘Am I dying?’ Max asked naively. He didn’t sound scared, though. Just confused and sad. Despite himself, David smiled fondly and placed an arm over Max’s shoulders to rub comforting circles on Max’s arm.

   ‘No, Max, you’re not dying.’ The man assured and he heard the boy sigh a breath of relief. ‘You just have a migraine. It’s like a headache but worse and makes you feel sick.’ David explained. ‘It was probably from being out in the sun too long yesterday. Tomorrow when you’re feeling better you can have a day off to rest if you would like.’ He told the boy. Max only nodded, his tiredness starting to wear him down. Strangely, as Max leaned against the camp councillor, he found a kind of comfort in the vibrations of the man’s speaking.

   ‘David?’ Max asked again and David hummed in response. ‘Could you— uh—’ he fumbled for the right words but in the end thought to himself, _fuck it_. ‘Could you sing something?’ It was something Max’s Nonna used to do for him when he couldn’t sleep at night and it had been so long since he last had someone sing for him. David happily complied as he began to sing a lullaby Max didn’t recognise.

   ‘ _Michael, row your boat ashore,_

_Hallelujah,_

_Michael, row your boat ashore,_

_Hallelujah,_ ’

   David sung quietly as he coerced Max to lie down again. David leaned against the headboard, his own tiredness beginning to creep up on him.

   ‘ _And his sister helped to build the sail,_

_Hallelujah,_

_And his sister helped to build the sail,_

_Hallelujah,’_

   Max’s head was finally starting to feel better and he managed to relax he suddenly felt all of his exhaustion finally starting to catch up with him. Though he would never admit it to anyone, and though he would murder David if he mentioned it to anyone, Max moved to curl up against David. The boy felt comfort in the gentle rise and fall of the councillor’s chest and, though he couldn’t place why, he was starting to feel safe. Bit by bit, he was starting to feel okay.

   ‘ _The River Jordan’s deep and cold,_

_Hallelujah,_

_And it chills the body, but not the soul,_

_Hallelujah._ ’

   Max could tell that he was close to falling asleep. He blinked his eyes open a crack and stared at nothing in particular as he spoke.

   ‘David?’ Max asked for the third and final time that night. Again David only hummed in response as a sign that he was listening. ‘Thank you . . .’ The young boy mumbled, barely audible.

   ‘Of course, Max.’ David said just as quietly as he rubbed Max’s arm comfortingly. He knew that in the morning Max would return to being his grumpy, troublesome self, but he was okay with that. After all, Max wouldn’t be Max if he weren’t trying to sabotage each camp activity. Max was okay now and that was all David needed to know.

   ‘ _And The River Jordan’s deep and wide,_

_Hallelujah,_

_But there’s milk and honey on the other side,_

_Hallelujah,’_

   Max’s breath soon evened out and his small fists curled subconsciously into David’s shirt. He had finally fallen asleep and David himself yawned tiredly as he glanced at the candles dancing dimly in the distance.

   ‘ _So, Michael, row your boat ashore,_

_Hallelujah,_

_Michael, row your boat ashore,_

_Hallelujah . . .’_

   David quietly moved Max’s sleeping form back to the pillow, then rose from the bed. He grabbed a couple of spare blankets from a cupboard and placed them over the boy’s sleeping form. David tiptoed through the cabin before making his way out into the night. He returned a few minutes later with an old, battered bear in his arms and placed it near Max who seemed to instinctively reach out for the bear, instantly smuggling into it. David smiled tiredly and picked up the ice pack that had fallen onto the bed at some point. As David set up a makeshift bed for himself on the armchairs he glanced over to where Gwen was still asleep on the other side of the room. He wondered how she had remained asleep through it all, little did he know she had in fact woken up at some point. Gwen had smiled to herself as she listened to the exchanges between the two, admiring the sweet side David managed to bring out of Max, and the way that he was able to understand and take care of the boy in ways she might not have been able to. After a while she slowly fell back to sleep to the sound of David’s singing.

   Finally, David blew out the candles and got comfortable in his makeshift bed, falling peacefully to sleep with a content smile on his face.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is lowkey a vent piece bc i get hella migraines and have since i was like 9 and tbh i just have always wished someone would care enough to stay with me through them and take care of me ha ha ha rip my life.
> 
> anyway hope you enjoyed !! the ending was kinda rushed but ive been v stressed with school work so im glad that ive been able to write more and use it to destress somewhat
> 
> okay ily bye


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